First Legal Spokane Weed Buyer Loses Job In Puff Of Smoke

A Washington man lost his job after becoming the first Spokane resident to legally purchase recreational weed, sending media outlets all over buzzing.

July 10, 2014by Jay Strubberg

A man loses his job in a puff of smoke after becoming the first Spokane resident to legally purchase weed in Washington state.

Security guard Mike Boyer took a day off work and camped outside marijuana retailer Spokane Green Leaf for almost 20 hours just so he could be the first person to legally buy pot in the city.

The 30-year old wasn't quiet about it either, as he allowed TV camera crews to take in the experience with him. Trouble is, Boyer's boss caught wind from all the exposure and called him in for a drug test. (Via KOIN, KREM)

Of course, the test came up with traces of THC, which is against his employer's drug policy regardless of state legality, so he was fired on the spot. But Boyer said he was more confused than anything.

"This is something we're going to have to figure out with all this legalization. You know, where's the grey line?"

Boyer also seemed to take his job loss in stride when he spoke with New York Daily News. “I’m sad it happened but I got the title: I’m No. 1. I regret nothing," and “We don’t line up for Black Friday, we line up for ‘Green Tuesday.' ... People camp out for Star Wars and donuts ... this is more important than that."

Boyer also doesn't plan on living a "burnout" lifestyle. He's already posted his resume on craigslist where he, again, boasted his recent achievement.

The fact that Boyer even spoke to the New York Daily News shows the vast coverage this story is getting.

Outlets from the West Coast, to the Midwest, to the East Coast all picked up the story. Even stretching abroad with Russia's RT and through online companies Buzzfeed and Mashable. (Via KNTV, KSDK, RT)

And it's easy to see why all the buzz. Washington state became just the second state in country to legalize pot selling for recreational use.

And many, like Boyer — who kind of shrugged off his job loss — see this as history in the making, including one man who came out of retirement to start pushing kush. (Via Getty Images, ABC)

This is so exciting. It's just like being a pioneer. I came out of retirement for this and it's the best thing I've ever done."

The New York Times was stationed in Seattle for the big first day of weed sales. A recent college grad who's one of the first purchasers told them, "Maybe I'll have it bronzed, make a trophy out of it."

To give a scope of how massive the media attention is on Washington state, The National Journal reports Google searches for Deb Greene, the first person to buy pot in Seattle shot out 5,200 results for her name — many of which were news outlets.